248 



NATURE 



\yuiy 10, 1879 



Barth and Sons, of Nuremberg, we glean some interest- 

 ing data as to the hop production of the world ; this firm 

 also exhibits a diagram of hop-prices from 1798 to 1878. 

 Some samples of hops preserved for two years or more 

 by a process, of which the nature is kept secret, are 

 perfect in aroma and colour. Compression, cold, and 

 exclusion of air are elements of the process but do not 

 suffice to account for its success. The total amount 

 of hops grown in the world in 1878 is stated by Messrs. 

 Barth to be — 



C-\vtS. 



England 650,000 



Continental Europe ... ... ... 619,000 



America ... ... ... ... 220,000 



To'al 



1,489,000 



Many most instructive data as well as specimens, models' 

 and instruments, frequently showing novel applications of 

 scientific principles, may be studied at the Kilburn Show. 

 We had noted for remark the malt-cake exhibited on 

 Stand 586, and the splendid collection of seeds, roots, 

 and models shown by Sutton and Sons of Reading, but 

 the limit of the space at our disposal preclude us from 

 further dwelling upon this exhibition, with its perplexing 

 but most interesting collections. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 



The New Comet (Swift, June 20). — From observa- 

 tions at Strasburg by Prof Winnecke on June 21, 26, and 

 July 2, Dr. Kiistner, one of his pupils, has computed the 

 following elements of this comet, taking account of all 

 the small corrections : — 



Perihelion passaje, 1879, April 27*3357 M.T. at Berlin. 



equinox 

 1879-0. 



Log. distance Log. distance 

 from Earth. from Sun. 



Longitude of perihelion 42 28 30'8 | -, 



,, ascending node ... 45 33 36 •6' *''" 



Inclination to ecliptic 72 59 52"5 



Log. perihelion distance 9'94893S 



Motion — retrograde. 



From this orbit it appears that on Tuesday next, July 15, 

 the comet will make an exceedingly close approach to the 

 pole of the equator ; at loh. G. M.T. its calculated posi- 

 tion is in right ascension i5h. 20m., and declination 

 89° 42', but earlier in the evening its distance from the 

 pole may be little over 10'. 



We extract the following positions from an ephemeris 

 for Berlin midnight, communicated by Prof. Winnecke : — 



Right North 



1879. Ascension. Declination. 



h. m, s. o / 



July n ... 2 57 59 ... 85 59'2 ... 0-2209 •■• 0"i940 



13 .. 2 58 6 ... 87 4-8 



13 ... 2 57 40 ... 88 10-3 ... 0-2226 ... 0-2010 



14 ... 2 S3 50 ... 89 15-6 



15 ... 15 18 o ... 89 39-2 ... 0-2247 ••• o-2oSo 



16 ... IS 6 32 ... 88 34-3 



'7 •• 15 5 33 ••• 87 29-6 ... 0-2271 ... 0-2148 



18 ... IS 5 36 ... 86 250 



19 ... 15 5 56 ... 85 20-7 ... 0-2300 ... 0-2216 



20 ... IS 6 25 ... 84 17-0 



Tempel's Comet, 1867 II.— In a letter addressed to 

 The Observatory, communicating his observations of this 

 comet made during the present reappearance, at Florence, 

 Dr. Tempel remarks .- " Since it will approach Jupiter 

 nearer in the year 1882 than in the year 1870, we shall 

 probably have difficulty in seeing it again, if we ever do 

 so." This statement must rest upon some misconception 

 or error of calculation. The mean daily motion at the 

 perihelion passage in the present year would not differ 

 materially from S93"*i8 as fixed by M. Raoul Gautier, 

 and the perihelion passage having taken place about May 

 6-98 G.M.T., it will appear that when the comet is next 

 in aphelion (which is about the nearest point of approach 



to the orbit of Jupiter) early in May, 1882, the actual 

 distance between the two bodies is rather more than 0-75 

 of the earth's mean distance from the sun, though in the 

 actual orbit it might happen that at this point the comet 

 and planet approach within 0-3. Neglecting the effect of 

 perturbation in the interim, it will be found from M. 

 Gautier' s elements that the nearest approach of the 

 comet to J.ip/ier during the next revolution will occur in 

 October 1881, when their mutual distance will be rather 

 less than 0-58. In January 1870, according to Dr. Seeli- 

 ger's computation this distance was only 0-32. Although, 

 therefore, the perturbations during the ensuing revolution 

 may be very sensible, they will not produce so great an 

 effect upon the elements of 1879 as to bear out Dr. 

 Tempel's statement. 



Observations of this comet have been made at the 

 Observatory of Rio de Janeiro, where the comet was 

 found independently by M. Cruls. The Emperor of 

 Brazil, who appears to take a personal interest in the 

 proceedings of his astronomical establishment, has com- 

 municated these observations to the Paris Academy of 

 Sciences, of which his Majesty is a Corresponding 

 Member. 



The Variable-St.\r Piazzi XIII. 126.— Mr. Bum- 

 ham draws attention to an interesting discovery he has 

 made respecting this object, viz., that it is really a close 

 double star, the components of nearly equal magnitude 

 6-2 and 6-5, at a central distance of o"-48 on an angle of 

 8o°-4 for 1879-4. Attention was first directed to its varia- 

 bility by Dr. Julius Schmidt, of Athens, in June, 1866. 

 On the 6th of that month he found it 5-4™- more con- 

 spicuous than i Virginis, with a yellowish white light con- 

 trasting with the orange tinge of the latter star. Piazzi 

 estimated it 6 -7m. and 7m., not 8m., as given in his 

 Catalogue ; Lalande called it 6'7, Brisbane 6, Heis (>"], 

 and it is 7m. on Bremicker's chart ; it is No. 1,342 of 

 Lamont, who estimated it only 8m. It is worthy of note 

 that the star occurs in the Uranometry of Al Sufi, trans- 

 lated by Prof. Schjellerup in 1874 ; it is No. 19 of the con- 

 stellation Virgo in the catalogue of the Persian astrono- 

 mer, and rated 5-6m. .As Mr. Burnham remarks, it will 

 be easy to determine which, if only one, of the stars is 

 variable. The star is B.A.C. 4,531 and No. 1,244 of the 

 new Greenwich Nine- Year Catalogue. Its position for 

 1880-0 is in R.A. i3h. 28m. 18s., N.P.D. 102° 35'"9- 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 



A PRIVATE letter received at Carlscrona from the com- 

 mander of the steamer Vega reports all on board in good 

 health. The Vega left the mouth of the Lena on August 

 27. At first she made tolerably good progress, although 

 she had to contend with ice and shoals. The voyage was 

 continued to Cape Yakow, but there she was stopped for 

 three days. The steamer got away from there on Sep- 

 tember II, and after a difficult passage reached Cape 

 North on the 13th, where she remained beset until the 

 1 8th. After that date the steamer could only now and 

 then make progress on account of the ice. On September 

 28 the expedition attained this present position, which is 

 situated in lat. 67° 6', long. 173° 30'. If the Vega had 

 got there two days earlier she would have reached Behring 

 Straits. The ship is not lying in a harbour, but alongside 

 a very low .'^andy shore, made fast to the ground ice. 

 Every one was well, and there was a good supply of pro- 

 visions and enough coal on board to steam 2,000 miles. 

 One or two villages had been passed, the inhabitants of 

 which are Tschutsches. Their complexion is tawny and 

 their hair and eyes are black. They dress in clothes 

 made of reindeer skin, reside in skin tents, and live on 

 seal blubber. They are singularly amiable and obliging ; 

 the women have their faces tattooed, but the men have 

 not. Their language is very hard to understand, but 



